[Claus-DK]

The comfort and isolation on IEM ar very dependent on the tips, the silikone and rubber ones are IMO not as comfortable as foamies and foamies also isolates better..

So if you use the same foamie on different phones the comfort and isolation will be very alike..

 

[googan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claus-DK /img/forum/go_quote.gif The comfort and isolation on IEM ar very dependent on the tips, the silikone and rubber ones are IMO not as comfortable as foamies and foamies also isolates better.. So if you use the same foamie on different phones the comfort and isolation will be very alike..

Are foamie tips better for isolation than say the ety er6i which is known for excellent isolation? Is it safe to buy an iem purely based on sound quality and then throw on foamies to solve the isolation problem?

Which foamies are best and do they fit universally?

I'm in the market for sub-$100 iems for use on the noisy subway.

 

[Claus-DK]

IMO are foamies the best to isolate next to custom, but it also depends of the noise "my noise" is a lot of hissing and motors running, but not very deep in the tone and for that thype of noise the foamies are best..

If you are a bit handy you can make a foamie yourself that fit any IEM..

My favorite is a brand named "eco damp" , but any foamie can be used, I like the cone shaped ones the best, I then turn them around and put the fat end in the ear first..

p.s I have never been in a subway....so I have not any idea how it sounds..

 

[Petriu]

I have spent a few days reading about the Futuresonics Atrio M5 and it seems to be good for me.

If I buy some Shure Olives, they cost the same as the Shure SE310.

So I have narrowed down the candidates to those two.

Has the Atrios with Shure Olives the same isolation as SE310?

Anyone who has compared these two IEMs?

The better bass on the Atrios appeal to me, because I listen alot to Trance/eurodance, but I often listen to rock/heavy metal too...

Should I order the Atrios or the SE310?

 

[TacticalPenguin]

googan - ety er6i's with foam tips are generally only beaten by a marginal difficult to notice bit by some shures with foams and then by ety's other IEMs with foam tips

klaus - It seems foam tips isolate more than customs, customs only isolate 20-30dB while phones with foam tips will isolate about 25-40. But for the throw on foamies problem solved question, in most cases the answer is yes, just make sure there are foamies that'll work for it first - you may find you can't stand the little differences between foam and silicone tips' sounds and some hacky foam fittings will magnify that difference.

 

[Claus-DK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TacticalPenguin /img/forum/go_quote.gif klaus - It seems foam tips isolate more than customs, customs only isolate 20-30dB while phones with foam tips will isolate about 25-40. But for the throw on foamies problem solved question, in most cases the answer is yes, just make sure there are foamies that'll work for it first - you may find you can't stand the little differences between foam and silicone tips' sounds and some hacky foam fittings will magnify that difference.

Well the isolation also depends of what kind of noise (the pitch of it) that surrounds you, but you are correct in total the foamies are superior to the customs I do not think that your numbers are correct, but thats another thing 40 db is a serious dampning it is like from a jackhammer to loud talking..

The only foamie I have met that was bad is the ones made by 3M the pink/orange ones

 

[TacticalPenguin]

Try some ety er4's with the huge yellow foams. Etymotic might set their own standards for rating IEMs but they certainly don't lie about anything and the er4 is rated for 35-42dB of isolation.

Compared to earmuffs which are rated for 28dB and foam earplugs rated for 30, my er6i's definitely make stuff quieter, so it is certainly in the mid 30's at least.

 

[Claus-DK]

The earplugs (foamies) that ety use has a NR of 25 so putting in a monitor elevates 10-17 db not very likely...

 

[TacticalPenguin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claus-DK /img/forum/go_quote.gif The earplugs (foamies) that ety use has a NR of 25 so putting in a monitor elevates 10-17 db not very likely...

1. You mean NRR?
2. Which earplugs where?

 

[Claus-DK]

try search for ear classic...

 

[TacticalPenguin]

E-A-R Classic Soft Ear Plugs (NRR 31) - AEARO, E-A-R, AOSafety, Peltor

1. How do you know these are what etymotic uses? They're smaller than etymotic's large yellow foam tips and a different color from etymotic's comparably sized black tips.
2. Why would, of all companies, Etymotic Research, way more than capable of figuring it out themselves, take an already completed retail earplug from another company and modify it to have a tube fit through it rather than just make it all themselves?
3. Their NRR is 31dB, not 25
4. The tube running through the foams makes them compress against the ear more strongly and form a better seal, and there are other factors with the driver housing there and all that. I don't think it is as easy as "this foam earplug here only has an NRR of 25 so all the ones on IEMs must be the same"

 

[Claus-DK]

OK